According to the International Centre for Prison Studies, the United States has the highest prison population per capita in the world. In 2009, for example, 1 out of every 135 U.S. residents was incarcerated. Generally, inmates convicted of felony offenses serve long sentences in prison (e.g., federal or state prisons), whereas those convicted of misdemeanors receive shorter sentences to be served in jail (e.g., county jail). In either case, while awaiting trial, a suspect or accused may remain incarcerated.
Additionally, over the past several years, the above-mentioned sharp increase in the U.S. inmate population has not been followed by a proportional increase in the number of prison or jail staff. To the contrary, budget pressures in local, state, and federal governments have made it difficult for correctional facilities to maintain an adequate number of wardens, officers, and other administration personnel.
In a controlled-environment facility, such as a jail or prison, information must occasionally be provided to all or many residents or inmates. Facilities typically suffer from not being able to easily communicate to residents. As a result, there are complexities and challenges related to “getting the word out” about various topics, which in correctional facility environments, for example, may range from pod cleaning-day reminders, to changes in the lunch menu, to security status indications.
Typically, controlled-environment facility management communicates to supervisors, such as correctional staff, who then verbally communicate the message to all residents. Alternatively, a paper message may be drafted and copies passed out to the residents or posted in resident living spaces. A video communication may be played for residents on televisions or audio messages played over a loud speaker to communicate the message. Other more intrusive methods, such as injecting messages or prompts into the automated telephone operator, may be used to communicate with residents when they place calls.
Limited access to residents causes confusion when there are changes to facility communication features and results in delayed resident acceptance of new and beneficial communication abilities. Additionally, residents are not able to forewarn or notify their friends and family outside the facility of the changes.